


An Old Friend Comes Home

by mykkila09



Series: McDanno Chronicles [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Episode Tag, Friendship, M/M, Minor Character Death, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 19:49:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1995669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mykkila09/pseuds/mykkila09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Catherine head to North Korea for Steve's former partner's body, but encounters trouble (not detailed); Catherine reflects on how she finally accepted Steve and Danny; Danny helps Steve come to an understanding</p>
<p><strong>Episode:</strong> 3x20: Olelo Pa’a (The Promise)</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Old Friend Comes Home

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Hawaii Five-0 and all its affiliates belong to CBS Productions, 101st Street Productions and Kurtzman Orci Paper Productions and it is based off of the original series by Leonard Freeman. No trademark or copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made from this story. In other words, I DO NOT own.
> 
> “Speaking”  
>  _‘Thinking’_  
>  Flashback

Danny threw the pen down and leaned back in his chair. He was doing paperwork, but his mind wasn’t too focused on it. The place was quiet the last few days since Steve left. That wasn’t to say that the criminals gave them time off, because they didn’t, but, without Steve around causing trouble, things just seemed quieter.

Running his hands over his face, Danny let out a groan. He couldn’t believe he had just had that thought. But—not that he would ever admit it out loud—things _were_ boring without Steve around.

Sighing, Danny dropped his hands from his face. As he did so, his eyes came to a rest on one of the photos on his desk.

The picture was of he, Steve and Grace, and all three of them were wearing huge smiles with some boxes all around them. It was taken three weeks after his and Steve’s first time, when the man had commandeered everyone, his daughter included, to move his stuff into Steve’s home.

_Flashback_

_A noise jerked him out of his sleep and he opened his eyes blearily, holding back the moan. Thinking it was his neighbours, he vowed to yell at them later and was on the verge of dropping back off when the noise came again._

_This time, it was closer. As in, inside his apartment._

_Now fully awake, he eased onto his side and reached into the bedside table where his gun was. Keeping his back to his bedroom door, he curled his finger around the trigger and waited until he could hear the footsteps coming closer._

_Just as he heard his door open, he pulled out the gun and rolled over, aiming the weapon at the doorway._

_“Damnit Danny, it’s me!” Steve cried out, his hands in the air._

_Danny dropped his arm and glared at his lover. “You dumbass, I could’ve shot you!”_

_Steve smirked as he stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. “Maybe.”_

_Danny groaned, “It’s too early for this shit.” A sigh, “What are you doing here Steve?”_

_Steve grinned as he sat down on the bed, a hand reaching out to trail down Danny’s belly. “It’s moving day.”_

_Danny lifted his head and stared at his lover in confusion, “Moving day? What are you talking about? Who’s moving?”_

_Steve’s grin widened, “You are!”_

_Danny always knew Steve had problems, he did, so, he decided to humour him, “And where am I moving precisely?”_

_“In with me of course!” Steve replied, still not losing his grin._

_Danny stared at the man in front of him in complete disbelief. He couldn’t have heard right. Steve had to be joking. But the longer he looked at Steve, the more he realized that it wasn’t a joke. The man was serious._

_It was then that he heard more movement out in his front room._

_“Who else is out there?” Danny asked, but he already knew the answer. “Don’t tell; Kono and Chin.”_

_“And Gracie too,” Steve added. He slapped Danny’s thigh. “So get up and let’s get moving.”_

_Standing up, the SEAL pressed a quick kiss to Danny’s lips before retreating._

_Danny let out a groan as he fell back to his bed. This was not what he had planned for his morning…not at all._

_“Danno, are you up yet?” Grace called as she entered the bedroom._

_Rolling over, Danny got off the bed as his daughter’s question. “Yeah Monkey, I’m up.”_

Shaking out of the memory, Danny shook his head and a brief smile flittered across his face. The week after they had first been together, they had told Grace about the two of them and despite their apprehension, the little girl had been just as excited as Kono and Chin and had been more than happy to move them out of Danny’s place and into Steve’s—a place where Grace had admitted she’d always seen as her home.

Letting out another sigh, Danny checked his watch. Right about now, Steve and Cath were at the airport waiting for the body of one of Steve’s old SEAL buddies.

He had wanted to be with his partner, but not only was he _not_ part of the Navy, Steve and Catherine had had to go to Korea to retrieve the body to bring it back to the US.

Throwing another glance at his watch, Danny grabbed his cell phone and dialled Cath’s number.

_“Hey.”_

“Hey,” Danny greeted, “Just calling to check in. How’s everything going?”

_“Good so far,” Catherine answered. “I mean, it sucks you know? But,”_

“Yeah I get it,” Danny cut her off. “So, how’s our boy doing?” he asked, desperately needing to know. He hated that Steve was doing this and he couldn’t be with him, but it was the way things had to be.

_“As good as can be expected,” Cath replied._

“Understandable,” Danny blew off, “Well, keep an eye on him and let him know we’re here.”

_“Will do Danny,” Cath said. “Gotta go.”_

“Bye,” Danny said and then he hung up. Letting out a sigh, he refocused on the paperwork he had been trying to do earlier.

~…~

Cath stood in the hangar waiting on Steve. It’s been a short couple of months since everything happened and even now, she still couldn’t believe that she was here…with Steve…still his friend.

It was something she hadn’t thought would happen, especially after everything that had happened between them. But nonetheless, it was something she was completely grateful for.

Looking back over her actions, she couldn’t believe she had done the things she had done. She wasn’t that type of person and the way she had behaved…it still sent shame and guilt through her whenever she thought about it.

_Flashback_

_Catherine sighed as she walked into the house she had been living the last few weeks. She was frustrated; no matter what she did, it seemed like nothing could shake Steve and Danny._

_She just had to come up with a way to break them up so that she could finally have another chance with Steve. She had made a mistake listening to his mother, but she hadn’t thought it had been big enough to end their relationship._

_And then Steve had told her that he and Danny were now a couple. That had completely shocked her. As far as she knew, neither one of them were gay, especially Steve! She knew that for a fact._

_So whatever they thought they were doing together, they were wrong. She and Steve belong together._

_She had known it when they had first met, but at the time, because of their jobs, it was something that neither one of them had been able to do. But when she had been stationed here, things had changed and they had changed even more when she had left the Navy._

_At the time, even though she had been upset to leave the job she had been doing half her life, she was also happy because it meant that her Steve could finally make things more permanent between them._

_And it had. Things had been going good, until she made the monumental mistake to listen to Doris and keep her secret from her son._

_If she could go back in time to stop herself from ever agreeing to keep that secret, she would in a heartbeat._

_But she couldn’t. It happened and she can’t change it. All she could do now was focus on the future and promise to never keep something like that from Steve again._

_First though, they needed to get back together and for that to happen, he and Danny needed to break up._

_And she had an idea of how to get it done. One she couldn’t wait to implement._

_~…~_

_The chance to put her plan in motion didn’t come until a few days later when the team had a barbecue._

_The barbecue was at the McGarrett house, and everyone was there, with the exception of Grace, as she knew that the little girl was out of town with her mother; probably visiting family._

_The gang was having fun, no tensions or nothing. She knew that it was because they all thought she was now over her and Steve breaking up and had accepted that as well as him being with Danny._

_They couldn’t have been more wrong._

_She still believed she and Steve belonged together and that they were a better couple than he and Danny were. All she needed was to get them to break up and then, she could show Steve that she truly had changed and that she was what’s best for him._

_So here she was now, ready to put her plan into motion._

_A while later, her opportunity to start presented itself. They were all sitting around the fire when Danny’s cell rang._

_The blond fished out of his pocket, dislodging Steve’s arm from his shoulders, pulling a slight frown from the other man, and answered. “Hello?...hey Rachel…Wait, what?...yeah no, sure I can come. Give me a few minutes…No, Rachel, Rachel! It’s fine, ok?...good. I’ll be there soon.”_

_He hung up and turned to the others._

_“What’s going on?” Steve asked, looking at Danny with concern._

_“Rachel’s at the airport with Grace and Charlie and she needs a ride,” Danny explained as he stood up. “It would’ve been Stan, but he had to stay an extra day for business and she didn’t know about it until she checked her phone after she got her bags and she didn’t want to call a car service. So I told I’d come get her.”_

_Steve stood up as well. “Need me to come with?”_

_Danny rolled his eyes. “No, it’s fine. No sense in both of us going out there and space is gonna be limited with all of Rachel’ stuff; speaking of which, I’m gonna borrow your truck.”_

_“Sure,” Steve nodded. “You know where the keys are.”_

_Giving Steve a quick kiss, one which had her turning her head, she watched as Danny waved goodbye to everyone and left._

_The night had drifted in and the others had been drinking heavily, except for her. She was drinking, but not enough so that she’d be completely out of it; just enough to give her a good buzz and some slurring and slight incoordination._

_One happened next seemed to her to be the universe’s way of green lighting her plan; Steve’s cell rang. It was Danny calling to say he would stay in one of Rachel’s guest bedroom and then drive over in the morning._

_She couldn’t have been more pleased._

_Soon after, everyone had decided to wrap things up. Since they had been drinking, they were going to crash in Steve’s front room._

_Kono let out a giggle as she stumbled over to the couch._

_“It’s a good thing none of you are driving,” she muttered as she helped the woman, and then her cousin, to the couch._

_Kono let out another giggle at that and she snuggled down into the couch. She stretched out her body and let out a yawn. “’m tired.”_

_“That’s ‘cause you’re drunk,” she answered in reply._

_Chin said something, but it was mumbled as he himself was already giving in to the call of sleep._

_She watched as Kono fell asleep as well before turning her attention to the stairs where Steve had disappeared just a few minutes ago._

_She gave one last look at the cousins and satisfied that they were deeply asleep, she made her way up the stairs._

_When she got to Steve’s bedroom, she carefully opened the door and saw that he was already in bed. Grinning, she stripped down and walked over to the other side._

_She knew that when Steve was around people he trusted, his guard would be down; so, he wouldn’t react or move to her presence._

_She was still careful though as she slipped into the bed and moved to lay next to him._

_“Wha’?” Steve mumbled as he blearily opened his eyes, feeling the movement._

_“It’s ok Steve,” she whispered, rubbing his arm gently. “Go back to sleep. I’m just helping.”_

_Steve let out another mumble and did as she said._

_Grinning at how easily her plan had come together, she settled further into him and closed her eyes._

_She couldn’t wait to see Danny’s reaction tomorrow._

_~…~_

_It was the opening of the door that woke her. Thinking it was Danny, she held back a grin as she rolled over to cuddle into Steve._

_She waited for his explosive reaction and when it didn’t come, she frowned._

_“Hey Gracie did you get Steve up yet?” Danny’s voice sounded just as the door was pushed open._

_Grace?_

_She quickly opened her eyes and rolled over. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw not only Danny, but Grace standing there,_

_“Danno, what’s going on?” Grace asked, looking from her father to Catherine. “Why is she in bed with Steve?”_

The sound of footsteps startled Catherine from her thoughts. When she saw that it was not Steve, she sighed.

Back to that memory; that day had been the day when everything had blown up. While she had planned for Danny to catch her and Steve in bed, she had never thought Grace would’ve been there as well. Having to explain to the little girl what was happening had been so shameful for her.

Even now she still couldn’t believe she had stooped so low. And then, when Chin and Kono had found out what she had done, what she had been doing, they had both yelled at her—well, Kono did, not Chin—and had expressed such disappointment before they had ended their friendship.

The weeks that had followed had been some of the worst. She had let her pain and anger at losing Steve and her determination of doing anything at all costs to get him back cloud her judgement and she hadn’t realized just how much she had valued their friendships until after she had lost them.

It had taken a long while for the group to forgive her and an even longer time to regain their trust and friendship. But she had and she knew that there was nothing she would do that would make her lose them again.

She had learned her lesson.

Another set of footsteps drew her attention and she looked up to see Steve heading her way. The idea that they were now friends again, almost as close as they had once been really was something she hadn’t thought would’ve been possible.

Cath knew though that the renewed friendships between her and Steve, and the others, were only possible because of Danny. While she had apologized to all of them, especially Steve, her most sincere apology had been done to both Danny and Grace.

He was, after all, the one she had needed to apologize to the most. Because whether the blond man, or the others, realized it or not, he was the heart of the team and they all would’ve followed his direction. If Danny had chosen not to forgive her, the others wouldn’t have as well.

But he had, and she was so thankful for it.

“Is everything ok?” Steve asked when he walked up to her. He had noticed as he was walking over, that she had looked to be in deep thought about something.

Cath smiled at him with a nod. “Yeah. I’m good. I mean, despite the circumstances.”

“Alright,” Steve nodded. His attention shifted then as two military soldiers walked over to them with a casket in tow.

Steve tensed and the closer the casket came, the more rigid he became.

The necessary pleasantries were exchanged and then Steve and Catherine were given privacy with the casket.

Catherine took a step back and let Steve have his moment.

Steve rested a hand on the casket and let out a deep breath as he was torn between two warring emotions: relief and sorrow. Relief because finally Freddie was coming home, sorrow because it was in a casket.

Slowly, he walked around the casket, his hands trailing along on the wood. When he made his way back around to where Catherine was standing, he let out another deep breath.

“Time to finally go home Freddie,” he whispered.

He made to step away, but something had him staying still. There was an urge forming, a need to open the casket.

So he did. He had prepared himself for the sight of the body, but it still took him by surprise. He couldn’t stop his eyes though from trailing the length of the body, taking in its state.

It was only on his pass back up, did he stop. Something about the body’s left shoulder drew his attention. With a frown, he reached out and carefully turned the arm to face him.

The shoulder was completely bare. But that was impossible. It wasn’t supposed to be…unless…

The realization left him clenching the edge of the casket.

“Steve, what’s wrong?” Catherine asked when she noticed his state.

“This isn’t Freddie,” Steve replied tersely.

Confused, Catherine stepped forward. “What? What do you mean? How do you know that?”

“Freddie had a tattoo on his left shoulder,” Steve said.

Catherine looked down at the body, at the arm Steve was holding and saw the empty skin. There was no tattoo.

“Wait,” Catherine looked up at Steve, “If this isn’t Freddie, then who is this? And where’s Freddie?”

“I don’t know,” Steve answered, his eyes still on the body. “But I’m going to find out.”

He was not leaving until he found out what really happened to his friend and where his body really was.

~…~

Steve smiled at the little girl once more and then stood up. As he did so, he saw Danny, Kono and Chin standing just a few feet away and he couldn’t help the rush of warmth that went through him at seeing them.

Nodding once more to the family, he made his way over to his team.

“What are you guys doing here?” he asked as he came to a stop next to Danny, his arm automatically reaching out and winding around his lover’s waist.

“What? You think we’d let you go through this by yourself?” Danny raised an eyebrow even as he shifted, allowing his body to relax into Steve’s. “It’s bad enough you got into trouble over there and we couldn’t help.”

Steve stared down at Danny, “Who said I—

“Really?” Danny cut him off, his eyes daring Steve to continue with the lie.

“What Danny means boss,” Kono interrupted the rant that was building with a grin, “he was important to you, so, he’s important to us. There’s nowhere else we would’ve been today.”

Chin chuckled, “I’d have thought you’d have figured out by now Steve. We’re _ohana_.”

Steve grinned and Catherine couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her as she walked over to the four.

“Forgive him,” Cath grinned, coming to a stop next to Kono. “Sometimes it takes a while for things to sink into his hard skull.”

“Amen to that,” Danny agreed with a grin and a nod.

Steve rolled his eyes, “I see how it is; you’re all ganging up on me now.”

“Ah, you know we love you, boss!” Kono laughed.

Steve chuckled and turned Danny towards where they were parked, the others stepping into line.

“Oh we have to pick up Grace,” Danny said as they neared the vehicles.

“From where?” Steve asked, looking down at Danny with some confusion.

“I dropped her off at Rachel’s,” Danny answered. “I know she wanted to see you, but it’s a funeral.”

“Understandable,” Steve nodded.

“So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Kono asked.

“I don’t know about you guys,” Chin grinned, “but I could go for some barbeque.”

“Steve and Danny’s?” Cath replied with her own grin.

“Hell yeah!” Kono cheered, raising her hand for a high five from the other woman.

Danny looked at the three of them, “What is this? Is our place the go to central or something?”

“Yes.” Cath, Kono and Chin answered as one.

Steve chuckled, “That’s _ohana_ for you Danno.”

Danny rolled his eyes as he unlocked his car. “I’m beginning to rethink this whole _ohana_ thing.”

The others chuckled as they made their way to their own vehicles.

“See you guys in half an hour,” Kono called out.

“Hey Cath, here!” Steve called out as he threw the keys to his truck at the woman.

“Isn’t it easier for you just to take her home?” Danny asked. “If she takes your truck to your place, one of us will have to drive her back to her place.”

Steve fidgeted. He knew Danny was right, but he wanted to spend time with his partner. Since he and Cath came back a few days ago, he and Danny hadn’t really spend any time together and he missed him.

Knowing Steve as well as he did, Danny could only roll his eyes when he figured out his partner’s thoughts.

“You goof,” Danny said in mild exasperation. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

Steve grinned and Cath let out a laugh as she watched the two.

“See you guys later,” she called out as she made her way to Steve’s truck.

~…~

Later that day, while everyone else—Grace included—was out in the back, Steve was in the kitchen, watching everything through the window.

Danny came in a few minutes later and walked over to stand next to him. “You alright babe?”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. He paused and then sighed. “It was hard, you know? Finding out what really happened to him, finding his body…” he looked over at his love. “He was my best friend before I met you. We were there for each other through a lot and it had hurt to leave him behind then. Sometimes, sometimes I feel as if I should hate him for forcing me to go.”

“Well I’m glad he did,” Danny said. “I think he knew Steve; he knew that it was either one of you or none of you and he chose you. And I’m so glad he did. Am I sorry that that little girl is going to grow up without her father? That that wife lost her husband? Yes, but at the same time, I’m also extremely thankful to him for saving your life; for forcing you to leave. He was a brave guy Steve. He sacrificed himself to save you and from what I know about him through you, he would kick your ass if he heard you right now.”

Steve let out a laugh. “You’re right; in a way, he was kind of like you. Always managing to know when I needed a good kick or to pull my head out of my ass.”

Danny grinned. “I like him even more.”

Steve rolled his eyes and ducked his head to kiss the shorter man.

Danny responded immediately, moving to wrap his around Steve’s neck.

The kiss continued for a few minutes before Danny reluctantly pulled away. “I’m also selfishly glad that he did force you to leave because it meant you were able to come back, to find your way here, to me. But more importantly than that, his sacrifice meant that you were able to live your life and go on to do good. And what we have here, with this team, what we do every day, it’s all the good that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been here.”

He gave him another kiss. “Instead of focusing on his death, focus on all the good he did; all the memories you have of him. I’m sure Freddie would’ve preferred you to celebrate his life and not mourn his death.”

One final kiss and Danny left Steve in the kitchen to his thoughts and went out to join the others.

As he stood there, Steve thought on Danny’s final words. He had focused so long on losing Freddie that he had forgotten about everything else.

His love was right; Freddie wouldn’t have wanted him to dwell on his death, he would’ve wanted him to remember the good times. So, he let the memories wash over him. And instead of bringing pain, they brought a smile to his face and a sense of peace.

Freddie had saved him because of who he was as a person and to demean that sacrifice, would be to demean his entire memory.

“Thanks for having my back Freddie,” Steve murmured. With a smile, he went to join his _ohana._

If he had turned back, he would’ve seen the translucent figure of his fallen comrade.

_‘Always Smooth Dog…always.’_ With that, Freddie’s spirit disappeared.

**Author's Note:**

>  **A/N 2:** I hope this was okay; I wasn’t sure how it’d turn out, but I think I did it justice. Let me know what you guys think


End file.
